Study: Cincinnati one of the worst cities in the US for air pollution

See which other U.S. cities were named in the American Lung Association 'State of the Air' report. A previous version of this video misstated the number of Americans living with unhealthful levels of pollution.
USA TODAY

File: The Cincinnati metro area is ranked as having some of the worst air pollution in the country.(Photo: Enquirer file)

"Breathing high levels of particle pollution day in and day out also can be deadly, as landmark studies in the 1990s conclusively showed and as other studies confirmed. Chronic exposure to particle pollution can shorten life by one to three years," the report said.

The 2018 report also measures ozone pollution. The Bowling Green and Glasgow metropolitan area in Kentucky is one of the cleanest cities for ozone air pollution.

"More must be done to clean up the air so that everyone has healthy air to breathe," American Lung Association National President and CEO Harold Wimmer said in a statement.

The American Lung Association said 12 of 25 most-polluted cities reached or tied their lowest average levels of particle pollution, including Cincinnati, Cleveland and Louisville.

While all these cities have levels that meet the national air quality standard in the U.S., all have levels above the limit recommended by the World Health Organization, the study said.

This photo from 1996 show the haze that develops when the Cincinnati region is under an ozone alert.(Photo:
Enquirer file
)

"Much of the high particle levels likely come from coal-fired power plants, which line the region, as well as diesel emissions from transportation sources including heavy-duty trucks, rail and marine fleets using the Lakes for transport," the study said.

Year-round exposure to particle pollution has also been linked to:

Increased hospitalization for asthma attacks for children living near roads with heavy truck or trailer traffic

Slowed lung function growth in children and teenagers

Development of asthma in children up to age

Significant damage to the small airways of the lungs

Increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease

Increased risk of lower birth weight and infant mortality.

"We need essential pollution monitoring information to safeguard the health of those most at risk of the effects of air pollution, including children, the elderly and those living with a lung disease," Wimmer said.